Former Enduro national champion and chief trail manager at the Marriott Karkloof Club Keira Duncan continues to fuse his passion for gravity fuelled racing and trail building ahead of the Sappi Karkloof Enduro, part of the Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival on 10 and 11 June.
This year’s Enduro will double up as the KZN Enduro Championships and give riders a chance to begin their preparation for the SA Championships at Cascades in October, something that Duncan is looking to do.
“I should already be training for the national championships,” Duncan said with a laugh. “I still want to give professional riding a real crack and although it’s taken a bit of a back seat with work, in my mind I am still going for it.
“This is still a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to race professionally so I am going to see if I can get overseas and race for a few months.”
Duncan finds himself in the position of racing on the trails that he creates, however he feels that the trail network at Karkloof is so good it means that he doesn’t need to make wholesale changes.
Designing the Karkloof Enduro Stages
“I’m definitely not redesigning the wheel here, but I am just trying to further develop an already incredible network of trails.
“There’s a fine line between making trails that everyone enjoys but still tests the top riders and I think Karkloof does that and the network provides me with the perfect canvas to express myself.
“I’ve been building trails and jumps since I was a young boy and to now be doing it for a living is a dream come true. Being able to be outdoors and create something that is a form of expression is a privilege,” he added.
Managing the extensive network of trails in the Karkloof is a big task, but for a Howick local caring for the trails that put the Karkloof region on the map is a job he cherishes.
“We have over 300km of single track that we manage in the Karkloof and then there are other trail networks that we maintain but I love being out on the trails and trying to fill the big boots that went before me.
“I’ve lent on Hylton Turvey for advice since I have taken over, but I don’t get to meet with him as much as I would like and I am trying my best to give people the best possible trails.”
The 2023 Sappi Karkloof Enduro will be two days of riding the famous Karkloof trails with no trails being duplicated on both days.
There will also be an Enduro Lite option for younger riders or those wanting something shorter, and the option to ride just one of the two days if the whole weekend isn’t on the cards for you!
For more information go to roag.org/
